Innovation-led

If Ng Tiong Ling could sum up his tenure as Managing Director of Brandt Asie, overseeing renowned French kitchen appliance brands Brandt and De Dietrich, it would likely be resilience under pressure.

Weathering multiple global disruptions over the past two decades, from the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers to the European sovereign-debt crisis, gave Tiong Ling deep insight into surviving upheavals and how to innovate. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he was ready to put his experience into practice.

“We evolved and we came out stronger than before, and that’s how we continue our innovation,” he explains matter-of-factly.

Despite the immense challenges brought about by the pandemic, the regular three-to-four-year R&D innovation cycle was only delayed by around an extra year. The lesson Tiong Ling takes away? A business built for the long-term can overcome temporary storms and innovation is the engine of any successful company.

For Tiong Ling, real innovation results in a better product and experience for the consumer. An example he highlights is the automatic detergent-dosing system in washing machines that senses the loading of the laundry and dispenses exactly the right amount of detergent required.

“To me, it’s one of the great innovations for the end consumer,” he says. “The technology helps save costs.”

In the induction hob category, Groupe Brandt invested in developing its own coil, a three-coil in contrast to the competitors’ two-coil, as well as creating a motion control-operated induction hob.

“We always put ourselves in the shoes of our customers,” he explains. “Users with oily or dirty hands can control the hob without getting it dirty. Now, the user can adjust the power and timer settings of the induction hob with the ease of motion control.”

Operational excellence

In a crowded market, innovation alone is not enough to attract discerning customers who expect top-of-the-line products alongside equally high-end service. Tiong Ling raises the example of the pledge he and his team made to ensure delivery within 24 hours across Asia.

“As long as the customer wants this, we want to be able to provide this service,” he says.

Most competitors can only deliver within 48 hours, a delay that Tiong Ling argues is not acceptable for appliances like washing machines, refrigerators or cooktops that people need in their daily life. Achieving this promise is no small feat and requires finely tuned logistics and comprehensive supply chain systems.

“Customers who have an issue with the washer need to do laundry every day, so they don’t have time to wait,” he points out.

“Customers who have issues with fridges can’t wait 48 hours to store their food. It’s critically important for any customer who cooks and uses a cooktop that we can do a replacement within 24 hours, so it causes minimal disruption to their daily lifestyle.”

Tiong Ling also references the importance of culture in turning difficult goals into reality. Placing people – whether they be staff, collaborators or customers – at the heart of operations is an essential element of this success.

“We invest deeply to develop talent across all functions within our company, from sales, products, marketing, operation, to after-sales and customer service. We foster a culture that is built on product knowledge,” he explains.

It’s no understatement to say that, especially in Singapore, every member of the Brandt Asie team plays an integral and critical role in shaping the Asian business.

“They take real pride in what they do and their dedication is key to driving our success,” he adds.

Of course, Tiong Ling’s leadership style helps foster the feeling of empowerment among staff.

“I can’t do this alone. I need to build a good team and enable the people to do their best and stay true to our shared values and objectives,” he says.

Shifting focus

As a global business, shocks to supply chains and trade wars add additional layers of challenges to operations. While Europe accounted for around 95 percent of the group’s global business two decades ago, today Asia represents 15 percent of total sales, with plans to increase this figure to at least 30 percent.

“We are working to expand our Asia manufacturing base and expand the capability in terms of offering a wider product range that can be produced in our own factory,” Tiong Ling says.

“We’ve selected essential partners for the factories, because if you look at Asia, it’s very diverse and we need to cater to specific country markets that have very different kinds of consumer expectations when it comes to the product specification.”

Under Tiong Ling’s leadership, the strategic approach toward markets such as Australia has been rewritten from the ground up. As opposed to relying on third-party trading importers, Brandt Asie moved to a full distributorship model that invests in brand, service and building expertise in a local team.

“In Australia, we’ve found a new Australian general manager, a new showroom and a direct team was deployed in the past year. I’ll duplicate this business model by 2027 in New Zealand, because it makes a lot of sense,” he adds.

There are also plans for regional expansion, including Vietnam and Japan, as well as deeper involvement in the key markets of Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand and even Malaysia.

Strong bonds

The long-standing relationships Tiong Ling has built up with suppliers are a two-way street, where both parties can rely on the other during moments of acute crisis. A powerful combination of time, trust and joint experiences has made these bonds transcend normal business-to-business connections.

“Today it’s not just about business,” he explains. “I’ll give you an example of a distributor in Korea with whom we have a very strong friendship, and I helped tide them over due to a market concern. This level of trust, I will say, is unbreakable. We are not just business partners – we are like a brotherhood.”

Tiong Ling recalls a time before the peak Chinese New Year season, when delivery challenges can feel overwhelming, where this trust was returned.

“We needed special support from our third-party outsourced delivery company and, with this trust, we found exceptional support from our partner,” he says.

The power of collaboration and accountability is crucial for Tiong Ling and his team when working with partners that have relationships stretching back many years. Once again, the continuing investment in people is central to achieving the future of Brandt Asie that Tiong Ling is aiming for in the long-term.

“We still have an ongoing exercise of employment in Asia and we need good people and we need talent,” he says. “It is my role to build them and prepare for the next phase of continuity for Asia.”

Asia is no longer an emerging region for the company; it has become the new center of gravity.